This invention relates to a bed accessory, and more particularly to a pillow or sheet, that will receive and store any body secretions in a sanitary manner; that will provide the user with ventilation; and that will offer maximum comfort to the user.
It is well known that many fatal accidents have occurred by suffocation because of lack of air, as well as from body secretions discharged and accumulated on pillows and sheets, especially to babies, small children, elders and invalids.
A sanitary bed pillow of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,938 issued on Jul. 10, 1962 to R. W. Lawson. This patent discloses a pillow having a core member made of a single block of an impermeable material, such as polyethylene, rubber or other suitable material provided with interconnecting passages, spaced not more than 1/16" apart and not less than 1/16" in diameter, to receive body secretions. In another species of this patented invention, the single layer of material is formed of a network of impermeable filaments spaced in a criss-cross orientation with the passages formed in the spaces between the filaments. Still a third version of the invention consists of a single mass of fiber material.
It should be noted that each of the above patented constructions consist of a single mass of material having only one degree of compressibility. In addition, the size of the passages are inadequate to pass and store any particulate material that may be present in the body secretions, as well as making it difficult to clean the pillow. If the single layer of pillow material is made sufficiently hard to maintain the passages open under the weight of the occupant in order to function to ventilate as well as pass the secretions, it is likely to be too firm to be comfortable to user. On the other hand, if the pillow is made sufficiently soft to be comfortable to the user, the pressure of the occupant's body will most likely block the passages and defeat the function of the pillow.